Industrial Diseases

Mr. Etherington : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security
if he will list the industrial diseases which are under review by the
Industrial Injuries Advisory Council or its research working group.

Mr. Scott : The council is currently investigating hand/arm
vibration syndrome, process injuries, disorders of the knee, osteoarthritis
of the hip and occupational rhinitis and keeps scientific evidence on all
other industrial diseases under review on an ongoing basis.

Benefits Tourism

Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security
what is his Department's estimate of the current scale and volume of
benefits tourism.

Mr. Burt : Information is not held centrally on the number of
foreign nationals who are in receipt of benefits without having contributed
either taxes or national insurance contributions.

War Pensions

Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he
will list the hospitals where medical examinations are carried out for the
purpose of assessing entitlement to war pension.

Mr. Hague : The majority of examinations are carried out by medical
boards or medical specialists at local medical boarding centres or
consulting rooms. In such instances hospital referral is not necessary.

Where examinations are to be carried out at hospitals all attempts are made
to have this done at a hospital convenient for the claimant.

Child Support Agency

Ms Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how
many assessments have been made by the Child Support Agency up to 2
February.

Mr. Burt : Figures for the latest period available, to the end of
December, are already in the Library and information relating to January
will be placed in the Library in due course.

Personal Pensions

Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1)
what proportion of the money contributed to an average personal pension at
the rebate-only level by a

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man of 30 years would be absorbed in
expenses, charges and commission during the lifetime of the contract if it
were terminated after five years ;

(2) what proportion of the money contributed to an average personal pension
at the rebate-only level by a man aged 30 years would be absorbed in
expenses, charges and commission during the lifetime of the contract up to
maturity ;

(3) what proportion of the money contributed to an average personal pension
at the rebate-only level by a man aged 30 years would be absorbed in
expenses, charges and commission in the first year of contract.

Mr. Hague : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon.
Friend the Member for Langbaurgh (Mr. Bates) on 30 November 1993 at columns
432-33.

Elderly Population

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security
what change is projected in the population of those aged (a) over 65 years,
(b) over 75 years and (c) over 85 years in each of the next 10 years.

Disability Benefits

Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security
how many children there were in families in Wales receiving invalidity
benefit or its equivalent in 1979 and at the latest available date.

Mr. Scott : Information for 1979 is unavailable. The latest date for
which information is available is 4 April 1992, but not in the form
requested. Such information as is available is the following : Number of
child dependency increases in payment to invalidity benefit recipients in
Wales--24,000

Source : 1 per cent. sample of claimants in Great Britain, rounded to the
nearest thousand.

Mr. Alan Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Social
Security what arrangements he intends to make for an equivalent premium
after 28 weeks for those recipients on income support, housing benefit and
council tax benefit who are incapable of work following the introduction of
incapacity benefit in 1995 and the award of a higher rate of short-term
benefit after 28 weeks.

Mr. Burt : The rules for the disability premium will be changing to
be consistent with the incapacity benefit rules.

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In particular, the new long-term incapacity
benefit will act as a passport to the premium and for those who have no
other means of entitlement to the disability premium, the period of
incapacity needed to qualify will increase from 28 to 52 weeks. The new
definition of work and assessment of incapacity will apply. We have no
plans to introduce an additional premium payable after 28 weeks incapacity.

Mr. Alan Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security
(1) what additional resources he plans to provide to fund the Benefits
Agency medical service, to take account of the operational costs of
incapacity benefit ;

(2) what additional resources he plans to provide to meet the costs of
additional medical assessors and social security appeal tribunals following
the introduction of incapacity benefit.

Mr. Scott : The estimated additional administrative costs and
manpower consequences of the introduction of incapacity benefit appear in
the financial memorandum accompanying the Social Security (Incapacity for
Work) Bill. Further refinement of these figures will depend upon decisions
still to be taken by Parliament. We are still considering the additional
resources that may be required for the appeals system for incapacity
benefit.

Mr. Alan Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security
what is his Department's budget for disability working allowance in 1993-94
and 1994-95 and the expected budget in 1995-96 and 1996-97.

Mr. Scott : Planned expenditure for disability working allowance was
£16 million in 1993-94, and £50 million in 1994-95 and 1995-96,
rounded to the nearest £50 million. Figures for 1996-97 will be
available in the departmental report which is expected to be published in
March.

Mr. Alan Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security
how much has so far been paid in disability working allowance in 1993-94.

Mr. Scott : Disability working allowance outturn figures for 1993-94
will not become available until the departmental report is published in
March.

Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what
are the arrangements for claimants currently in receipt of severe
disablement allowance whose incapacity for work is due for review after
April 1995.

Mr. Scott : From April 1995 people in receipt of severe disablement
allowance will no longer have to undergo any kind of review of their
capacity for work.

Income Support (Giro Payment)

Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how
many giro payments of income support are reported missing in each year ;
what percentage of total giro payment this is ; and how many giros remain
missing without being cashed.

Mr. Burt : The payment of income support by girocheque is a matter
for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He
will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.

Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. John Fraser, dated 10 February 1994 :

Column 501

The Secretary of State for Social Security
has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking about
payments of Income Support made by girocheque.

Payments of Income Support are frequently combined with payments of other
benefits therefore it is not possible to identify the number of payments
made by girocheque that are for income support alone. However, figures
relating to the issue and losses of all girocheques issued by the Benefits
Agency are available and are detailed below.

The Employment Service acts as our agent in the provision of girocheques to
those who are unemployed and claiming Income Support; the above figures
relate only to girocheques issued by the Benefits Agency.

I hope that you find this reply helpful.

Incapacity Benefit

Mr. Alan Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security
what rules he proposes to apply for the award of disability premium for
people on income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit,
following the introduction of incapacity benefit in 1995.

Mr. Burt : The disability premium provides extra help in income
support, housing benefit and council tax benefit for long-term sick and
disabled people.

For those claiming these benefits as long-term sick the rules for the
disability premium will be changed from April 1995 to reflect the
incapacity benefit changes announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary
of State on 1 December 1993. The new long-term incapacity benefit will act
as a passport to the disability premium. Severe disablement allowance will
continue to bring entitlement to the disability premium. For those who have
no other means of entitlement, the period of incapacity needed to qualify
will increase from 28 to 52 weeks and the new definition of work and
assessment of incapacity will apply.

Disability living allowance, attendance allowance and mobility supplement
are other passporting benefits to the disability premium, which can be
awarded on other grounds--for instance, if the person is registered blind.
These routes to the disability premium will not be affected by the
incapacity benefit changes.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

International Military Services Ltd.

Mr. Cousins : To ask the Attorney-General what services he or his
predecessors have performed under the Treasury Solicitor Act 1876 on behalf
of International Military Services Ltd.

The Attorney-General : I know of none.

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Treasury Solicitors' Department

Mr. Cousins : To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the size,
grades and costs of the staff of the Treasury Solicitors' Department in
each of the last three years ending on 31 March and the current figures for
numbers and grades.

The Attorney-General : The following table sets out the size and
grades of the staff of the Treasury Solicitor's Department in each of the
first three years ending on 31 March and the current figures :

WALES

Bryn Melyn Home

Mr. Marland : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what public
funding is provided for the Bryn Melyn home in Wales.

Sir Wyn Roberts : I am not aware of any public funding for this
private children's home. No funding has been provided by the Department or
other agencies for which the Welsh Office has direct responsibility.

School League Tables

Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what
representations on school league tables he has received from the Institute
of Welsh Affairs ; what reply he has sent ; and if he will review current
policies as a result.

Sir Wyn Roberts : None directly, but the report published by the
institute in January, "Towards an educational policy for Wales", makes
reference to the publication of school performance information.

Before decisions are taken on the extent of school/college performance
information to be published in autumn 1994 there will be consultations with
schools, FE colleges, and education interests.

Open-heart Surgery

Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give
the present waiting list for open-heart surgery in Wales.

Column 503

Mr. Gwilym Jones : Information on waiting lists is collected
centrally on the basis of specialties recognised by the royal colleges.
Open heart surgery is not one of these recognised specialties and hence the
information requested is not available. However, at 30 September 1993, the
latest date for which information is available, there were 301 people
waiting for in-patient treatment in Wales in the specialty of cardiac
surgery.

Cardiff BUPA Hospital

Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what
consultations he has had with the chairman of the South Glamorgan health
authority concerning the provision of University Hospital of Wales staff at
the Cardiff BUPA hospital to provide immediate post-operative care for NHS
cardiac surgery patients operated on at the BUPA hospital at NHS expense ;
and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : None.

Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what
consultation he has had with the chairman of the South Glamorgan health
authority concerning the training of BUPA nursing staff in post-operative
cardiac surgery recovery techniques at the University Hospital of Wales ;
and what remuneration he has arranged for the South Glamorgan health
authority for such training activities.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : None. It would be for the Health Authority and
the University Hospital of Wales to negotiate an appropriate charge for any
services provided to private hospitals.

Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give
the present numbers who were treated at the BUPA hospital, Pentwyn,
Cardiff, for open-heart surgery at the expense of the South Glamorgan
health authority ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : In 1992-93, almost 1,000 adult open-heart
operations were performed on NHS patients in South Wales, 50 of them under
contract with the BUPA hospital in Cardiff. Commissioning authorities are
fully funded to secure that level of service. Fifteen NHS open heart
operations on patients from South Glamorgan were carried out at the BUPA
hospital in Cardiff in 1992-93.

Training and Enterprise Councils

Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the
total number of chairpersons and board members of the training and
enterprise councils in Wales.

Sir Wyn Roberts : There are seven chairpersons and 85 board members
of the training and enterprise councils in Wales.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Public Bodies

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the President of the Board of Trade who are
the members currently appointed to the London regional passengers'
committee.

Mr. McLoughlin : The members of the London regional passengers
committee as at 21 January 1994 are :

Column 504

Professor Eric C. Midwinter (Chairman)

Mr. David R. Bruck

Mrs. Delia M. Buckle

Mrs. Beverley J. Davies

Mr. Lekh C. Dindayal JP

Mr. Nicholas P. Ellis

Mrs. Stella A. Fowler

Sir Alan Greengross

Mr. Karl T. Gurney

Mr. Michael J. Harris

Mr. I. Haynes

Mr. Andrew J. Holt

Mr. Ernest C. King

Miss Faith C. Lawson

Mr. Stepehen J. A. J. Le Bras

Mr. Laurie Mack

Mrs. Suzanne C. May

Mr. Peter Nichols

Mr. Peter L. Noble

Mrs. Dawn Penso

Mr. John A. K. Phillips

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the President of the Board of Trade who are
the members currently appointed to the Advisory Committee on
Telecommunications for Small Businesses.

Mr. McLoughlin : Appointments to the Advisory Committee on
Telecommunications for Small Businesses are the responsibility of the
Director General of Telecommunications. However, I understand that the
current members are :